Dusk Till Dawn
by PerditusFic
Summary: When Ava gets hurt on a mission, Sara helps her through her recovery as they're both forced to finally define their relationship. And, of course, continuously redefine it as they navigate their unusual lives.
1. Chapter 1

**I started this before "I,Ava" aired so this will be canon divergent and time skipped a few months after Sara and Ava's first date.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

"Gary!"

He cringed. Sara's footsteps were gaining on him quickly, so he couldn't run away now. Not that he could outrun her anyway. She was an assassin. And his last girlfriend said he had two left feet. Gary turned around and tried to smile, hoping it didn't look as pained as it felt on his face.

"Captain Lance-" He clamped his mouth shut the moment Sara latched on to the lapels of his jacket. "Good to see you, too."

"Cut the shit, Gary. What happened?" Sara asked, tightening her grip. His eyes flickered down for a moment and she knew he was resisting a comment about how back his dry cleaning was going to be with having to deal with her. First time they really were intimately introduced she had a gun pointed at him.

"There may have been a bit of a minor mishap on a mission."

"Your definition of minor always gives me a headache. Where's Ava?"

Gary lifted his hand pointing a finger in the opposite direction and muttered a sheepish, "That way." Sara released him without a word and made her way to the infirmary. He followed hesitantly while also trying to figure out what Ava would want to do next.

"…the hell?" Sara looked around the infirmary finding several agents injured and groaning about it – or totally out cold. Her eyes scanned the room and she briskly moved her feet until she was next to Ava who looked just as bad as the rest of them. She slipped her hand into the Director's and was meant with a playfully exasperated stare. "Ava …"

"Ugh. Gary," Ava groaned.

"Sorry. But you did tell me that if something were to happen …she's your emergency contact. Looked like an emergency to me."

"Thank you, Gary," Sara said. He nodded, finally letting an easy grin appear on his face before he turned on his heel to leave.

She turned back to her…they still working on what exactly they were. It'd been months since their first date. They were both skipping around the subject of if they were girlfriends or something else? They were open about dating and spending every non-working free time with each other, but Ava was Sara's …? And Sara was Ava's …?

"I thought I'd be prettier before you got here," Ava joked.

"This isn't funny. You're hurt."

"I'm fine. It's just a few bruises."

She attempted to wave her off, but Sara wasn't having it in her over-protective, concerned state. The captain looked at the doctor standing on the other side of Ava looking over several pages on a clipboard. He removed his eyes slowly from the paper.

"What is her actual diagnosis?" Sara asked. "Dr. …?"

"Dr. Lake." He extended his hand to Sara and was quickly surprised by her grip. He flexed his hand and then flipped back to the first page. "Director Sharpe has a fair amount of injuries. Second degree sprain in her right ankle, six broken ribs, and there's a serious break in her left arm. So, we're scheduled for surgery as soon as possible. And then there's the obvious contusions on the right side of the face."

"Holy shit …" Sara swiped her hand across her face and shook her head.

Ava sighed as her hand fell from the other woman's. "Sara-"

"What the hell happened? Who did this?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was a gorilla?" Ava asked.

"Grodd. I finally get rid of Damien and Mallus …"

"I'm fine, Sara. You can be upset later."

"I really should get her to surgery," Dr. Lake said.

"Fine," Sara grumbled. She leaned down and carefully kissed Ava's forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up. Right now I'm going to call animal control."

* * *

"You mean that giant monkey kicked the time bureau's ass again?" Mick asked, halfway through a Rueben sandwich with a beer in his other hand. He laughed as he usually did and Amaya smacked him on the arm, as she usually did.

"Shut up, Mick." Sara pinched the bridge of her nose. The tension coming off her was palpable through the video feed. "Look, Ava's in surgery and all the agents that went with her are incapacitated. So, we need tranquilize this bastard and get him the hell back where he needs to be before we have another dozen time bureau funerals to go to."

"So, we're chasing down a gorilla _when_ exactly?" Nate asked.

"My conversation with Director Sharpe didn't have much detail," Sara said, "Gideon."

"It appears after Mallus' demise, Gorilla Grodd found himself in China 1496," Gideon answered.

"Oh, Ming Dynasty. I need to get my tunic." Ray's eyes lit up at Nate's mention of clothes.

"Although Director Sharpe encountered Gorilla Grodd in Los Angeles, California in 1999."

"How did he get from the Ming Dynasty to Y2K and Woodstock 99?"

"That's what you and Ray can figure out," Sara said, "Wally has experience with Gorilla Grodd and that's your best bet at taking him down and returning him back to where he belongs."

"Aye, Captain." Wally nodded and gave her an enthusiastic salute.

"Where exactly does he belong?" Zari asked.

"Present day, Gorilla City on Earth Two," Amaya answered.

"Right, so, Amaya you're in charge for this mission. Mick …don't get too hammered."

"No promises, boss," Mick said, walking away.

"Wait you're not coming with us?" Wally asked.

"No, I …I promised Ava I would be there when she wakes up. Plus, we need to know everything that happened to her team, so we can avoid it."

"We'll see you after our victory." Nate and Ray started to leave the room. "Time for cross colors and bucket hats," Ray said in the distance, sounding too excited to be focused on the mission.

"Two things guys regret wearing in the 90s." Sara sighed. Zari and Wally started made their exit shortly after Nate and Ray disappeared. Zari started up a conversation with Gideon about the details of the time period. "I need them focused."

"I will be totally focused …after a pitstop in the kitchen. I'm really hungry." Wally left, Sara shaking her head after him. She understood why he ate ten times as much as Mick but it was still unreal how much he could consume in one sitting. His high metabolism has also led to some very unsavory eating contests.

"Don't worry I'll keep them in line." Amaya folded her arms across her chest. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine …just ready to officially put Damien, Mallus, and wannabe King Kong out of my mind," Sara said.

"You said Ava was in surgery. How bad is it?"

"Her arm is broken. She's going to be okay." Sara turned her eyes to where Gary and Rip were talking down the hallway. "But she looked pretty bad …exhausted."

"We'll get Grodd," Amaya said. Sara only seemed to grow more tense. "I promise we will."

"I know but …I just-"

"You're worried about her." The blonde nodded. "Go. I'll keep you updated."

"Thanks, Amaya."

Amaya tipped her head in acknowledgement and Sara closed the connection. Sara tucked her thumbs into her back pocket. Hopefully, the surgery was going fine. And hopefully Grodd would soon be marked off her list of problems.

* * *

Sara stretched out in the chair, letting out a yawn. However little the anachronisms have been they were frequent and ridiculous enough to cut into her sleep time. Per Ava's request her and the team would tackle a few of the low level anachronisms and those popped up more frequently than she expected.

Although, most of the stress of Ava being hurt is what was draining. Of course, she couldn't even imagine how the other woman was feeling after her ordeal.

Her head bobbed as she fought off the urge to take a cat nap just as Dr. Lake came down the hallway. She stood up immediately with Gary and Rip coming from the end of the hallway to meet them.

"How is she?" Rip asked before Sara could get the words out.

"Obviously very sore." Dr. Lake looked between the trio. Rip and Sara didn't look to be too responsive to any jokes and Gary – now temporary Director – was seconds from pulling his hair out with stress. He'd been hiding out in this part of the building since Ava and her team had come in. "The surgery went well but her arm was broken in two places. This injury isn't to be taken lightly."

"Will she be able to use her arm again?" Sara questioned, clenching her fists at her sides.

"Yes, but I see physical therapy in the director's future."

"We can she leave?"

"I see no reason why she couldn't go home in the morning."

Sara nodded, not liking the prospect of Ava having to enduring months of therapy to get back the usefulness of her arm again. Part of it was for selfish reasons. Ava was her … They'd have to discuss that soon. It wasn't good to draw a blank on what to call the woman she was sleeping with …and going on dates with and sharing a Netflix account with. That aside, sex and cuddling were definitely going to be more difficult and Ava would be easily frustrated by those two things alone.

She pulled herself from her inner thought as Rip questioned Dr. Lake and interrupted them. "Can I see her?" She asked. Rip paused, and Dr. Lake nodded, sensing it was best not to deny that woman the opportunity to see Director Sharpe.

Three sets of eyes stayed on her back until she disappeared through the door of Ava's room. Sara closed the door behind her, making sure to be quiet. Considering the lights were dim and the room was silent, it was safe to assume Ava was groggy and more than likely very irritable as the anesthesia wore off.

Ava pried an eye open and was relieved to see Sara. A small, tired smile graced her lips.

"Hey," Sara greeted. She leaned down and gently kissed Ava on the lips. "Welcome back."

"I can think of a million different ways I'd rather wake up," Ava said. Sara brushed her fingers against her own and kept her eyes glued to the arm that was now as numb as it's ever felt. She entwined their fingers, running her thumb over the two rings of Sara's thumb.

"Hey, look at me." At the command, Sara tore her eyes away to meet a pair of bright blues. Ava had the full-on Princess Charming, perfect, iceberg blue that could literally ensnare anyone. They got Sara every time. "I'm okay."

"You could've died …" Ava squeezed her hand to pull her away from the dark thoughts the crossed her mind. "I hate to bring work into this, but I need to know what happened."

"I don't want a debrief right now."

"Aves, we need to do this now before my team gets the crap beaten out of them, too."

"How did this happen?"

"I don't remember much. I just know that when he looked at me, everything went to shit. He knew every move and when I had to retreat, Grodd really had a ball. The rendezvous was a couple blocks away, so we commandeered a few vehicles in the area." Ava sighed feeling frustrated at how wrong the mission went. "I was the last and Grodd tossed my car into the other agents and then I woke up in the infirmary."

"Psychic stuff is still in play," Sara muttered, "Wally is literally our only hope right now."

"He's a good kid. I'm sure you all will do just fine."

"You're authorizing this mission?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice. As Director I need to have Grodd back where he belongs. I'm sure there are at least a dozen headlines from LA Times about a gorilla attack in '99 by now."

"I'll ask Gideon later. Right now, my priority is you. I have Amaya heading this mission."

"No," Ava shook her head, attempting to sit up. Her waist was on fire at the slightest movement, but she reduced a potential moan of pain to a wince. It earned a disapproving look from Sara. "I'm fine. You need to be there."

"No, I'm here with you. You know Amaya. If anything ever happened to where I couldn't be captain anymore Amaya would easily be the obvious choice to take my place."

"Every legend has to be on that mission."

"Every legend that needs to be there is there."

"Sara-"

"I'm here with my director."

"Your director, _your boss_ , is telling you your ass needs to be on the Waverider."

"No," Sara said with a smirk.

"I will fire you, Captain Lance."

"You won't. My defiance is the reason why you like me so much. You play by the rules and I don't, that's why we work so well together."

"You're going to give me ulcers," Ava said.

"No, that's Gary's job." Sara kissed her lips and Ava winced. She removed her lips and moved them to her nose. "Better?"

"Moderately. It'd be better if you went on the mission like I said."

"Not a chance. I'm taking you home in the morning and making sure you stay there."

* * *

"Welcome back, Captain Lance," Gideon greeted as Sara stepped onto the Waverider. Ava had been reluctant for weeks after she became head of the bureau to give any of the legends a time courier but obviously now she could see the advantages – and was willing to overlook how often Sara used it for midnight visits.

"How's it going, Gideon …team still intact?" Sara asked, noticing it was strangely quiet as she walked to her room.

"As intact as it can be, Captain."

"Give me an update, please."

"Dr. Heywood and Dr. Palmer have been changing in and out of what's considered the worst fashion of the 1990s for the past 30 minutes."

"Big surprise."

Sara shook her head, entering her room. She pulled her rarely used duffle bag from under her bed and unzipped it. Her plan was just to make sure Ava settled in okay at her apartment. Packing a bag was a precaution …just in case. The team should be back at least within 24 hours, maybe a little longer because it's Grodd they're dealing with.

"Mr. West, Mr. Rory, and Miss Tomaz are in the middle of a post dinner snack …"

"No one told me being a superhero involved so much grocery shopping," Sara muttered. She shoved a pair of jeans into the bag. "And where's Amaya?"

"Standing outside your door."

Sara spun around as her door opened, Amaya stepping inside with her arms folded over her chest with a judging expression already in place. She went back to packing again, tossing a tube of lotion into the bag from over her shoulder.

"Going somewhere?" Amaya asked.

"While you guys are on the mission, I'm going to make sure Ava gets settled at her apartment. She's stubborn and probably going to find every way possible to be at work."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Amaya looked down at the scarce amount of packing Sara was doing. "She's head of the Bureau you can't blame her. It's a lot of responsibility."

"That also translates to a lot of stress. She's going to need physical therapy after her arm is healed."

"Which sounds like you should be there a little longer than a day."

"I can't afford to do that. Gary is already in charge of the Bureau and he's going to be overwhelmed and balding after the first two days."

"It's not that bad."

"He's been hiding out in the hallway of Ava's room since the surgery."

"Okay that sounds bad but …honestly this is the perfect opportunity to get a break. You need one."

"I do not."

"You do. You work all the time. Take some time off as captain to take care of your _girlfriend_." Amaya knew that word scared the shit out of both women for no reason. She didn't understand why when that's exactly what they were to each other unless they were ready to skip that step and just get married already.

"Girlfriend? We haven't-"

"Talked about it? I know," Amaya said, sitting down on the bed. "Sara you are in a committed relationship with Ava. Before her, you'd have at least one hook up every other mission and now you don't even notice when anyone is giving you looks. What do you think that means?"

"I suppose it means we're in something serious."

"Serious enough to put a title on it."

"You know what …this is beside the point. I'm not taking time off. Leaving this team alone for too long could mean a lot of not needed things happening."

"If you're so worried about something going wrong, I don't have much problem with you putting Rip in charge instead."

Sara looked up at her and frustration was already there. Amaya just shrugged. She knew Sara trusted her enough to take care of everything but if Rip was there was no way for her to worry so much as she did. No one ever argued with Sara and won, except for Ava. And Amaya.

The woman smirked in triumph as Sara yanked open a drawer pulling out enough clothes suitable for staying a bit longer at her girlfriend's apartment in a semi-normal city.


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, Vicodin …" Sara handed Ava a glass of water along with the pill. Ava had been reluctant take it at first but the trip from infirmary, through the portal, and into the apartment was taxing enough to persuade her. She accepted both items and Sara waited to take them back, sighing at the way Ava still winced when she moved.

"Thanks," Ava said, leaning back into the couch pillow under her head.

Davey and Arlo hopped onto the couch, purposely laying out just in case Sara got the idea to even sit near their owner. Sara took the empty glass, grimacing at the felines. They had been at war ever since the first time Sara came home with Ava. Once they caught onto the fact that Ava liked her enough to have her over a lot, Davey and Arlo had started scheming to aggravate the woman in every way possible.

"Hey, leave her alone. She's bed ridden," Sara said from the kitchen.

"I am not." Arlo moved to lay on the back of the couch and Ava reached up to run her fingers through his fur. "And they're cats. They won't listen."

"No, they're _your_ cats. They won't listen to _me_."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ava asked. "I listen to you, you're just almost always saying something ridiculous. Besides, if they annoy you that much you don't have to stay here. I'll be fine."

"We talked about this." Sara leaned against the counter. "As much as I don't want to leave my team, I need to be here for you. This is the most serious a relationship of mine has gotten in a really long time."

"And I appreciate that, but it doesn't mean you have to keep yourself trapped here with me for two weeks."

Sara sat down on the edge of the coffee table, eyeing Ava's arm that was glued to her torso. "But it does …mean that. We need to talk about something and it's my fault for not bringing it up after all this time."

"The last time you wanted to have a serious talk we broke up."

"No, that's not what this is. I'm here to take care of you and help you because you're my girlfriend."

"Sara-"

"I'm sorry it took so long."

"Don't apologize," Ava said. She reached out for Sara's hand and the other woman let her catch it easily. "I'm just happy you said it. And it's partially my fault. I could've brought it up."

"I kept telling myself I wanted it see if this would last but really I was just scared. Terrified, actually."

"We've been through hell and we've survived. I think now I can ask that you have a little faith in us. It's only fair since you believe me when I say I love you."

"I love you, too," Sara said, leaning forward to connect their lips. Ava, again, flinched after barely a second of enjoying it. The crash really did a number on her face as well as the rest of her. Her top lip was throbbing and red on one side and no matter how gentle Sara was, it still hurt like hell if anything touched it.

"Now, you should rest while I search how to take care of post op patients on Google." Sara took the blanket from the back of the couch, snatching a corner from under Arlo. He hissed at her and she gave him the bird right before he jumped off and walked away. She put the blanket over Ava and Davey laid down on her thigh. "I've never had a severely injured, recovering girlfriend before so …"

"Mm, I like the sound of that. Girlfriend …" Ava was already half asleep. The meds were kicking in now. Sara kissed her forehead and left her to sleep.

* * *

Davey lifted his head from his paws as he rested on the arm of the couch. That woman was back again. Oh, how he despised her. She was never apologetic about stepping on his tail and didn't seem to care whenever he leveled her with one of his glares. Arlo didn't appear to care much for the woman but if Ava liked this woman and kept bringing her around, they both came to an agreement not to get on her nerves too much.

So, he decided not to trip her up when she came back into the living room from the bedroom with her phone angled in between her shoulder and her ear. She finished buttoning her shirt and stopped just short of the kitchen. Ava was staring at the tv, completely uninterested in the movie on the screen.

"Well, okay…" Sara frowned. She brushed her thumb against Ava's bruised cheek, earning a hint of blush from the other woman. "Keep me updated."

"Who was that?" Ava questioned.

"Amaya. She said Mick was stuck in a tree at the moment, but everything was going fine. According to Zari and Wally they should have Grodd back where he needs to be in record time."

"What's record time for Legends? 3 weeks?"

"Are you hating on me Director Sharpe?" Sara asked, dropping down next to her.

"Just stating facts, Captain Lance."

"Mhm." Sara leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth before turning to the tv. "What the hell are you watching?"

"'Watching Paint Dry Featuring Ava Sharpe'."

"It's barely been two days and you're already bored?"

"Yes. You made me leave everything at the Bureau. I can't work. What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know binge a show or …be lazy. People are always complaining about always going to work and having to wake up early."

"Sara, you know I'm not one of those people. I complain about you and Gary …" She closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Oh, god. Gary is in charge of the Bureau."

"Ava-"

"No, that man is the most jumpy, nervous person in the entire world. We're doomed. Time is doomed."

"Don't you think you're overexaggerating a little bit. Gary's been your shadow for…like forever. I think he knows the ropes enough to be in charge for a little while. The point of leave is recovery and the point of recovery is to relax."

"I can't just sit here for a couple of weeks doing nothing."

"Aves, I'm here to take care of you and be your entertainment," Sara said taking the remote and flipping to Netflix.

"What are you offering? A lap dance?"

"Only if you want one. Otherwise, I bet you haven't discovered the Santa Clarita Diet yet." Ava raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "What will it be? Netflix or lap dance? Forewarning, I didn't bring any matching underwear."

"Like that ever stops anything."

"Well, Director Sharpe …" Sara examined the look of interest on Ava's face. She looked tempted enough and Sara was gentle enough. They could make it work. She carefully straddled Ava's lap and brought her hands up to the sides of her face. "Maybe a strip tease?"

"Don't start something you can't finish, Miss Lance."

"Oh, I can finish."

"This is a bad idea," Ava said, putting her hands on Sara's waist.

"They all turn out good in the end."

Ava didn't protest the idea. In fact, Sara was moving much too slow for her, and she was the first to initiate an ill-advised kiss. Both were known for finishing everything they started. They kissed until there was no air in their lungs and it took everything for Sara to resist escalating anything. But since when do adults only make out?

Down to the last button on her shirt and ready to get out of it, all while resisting it at the same time, they were interrupted. Like they always were. Ava's phone started ringing on the coffee table. They both groaned in frustration. If it wasn't Gideon or the team …it was Gary.

Sara moved off of Ava's lap and snatched the phone from the table. She answered even though Ava held her hand out for it.

"What is it Gary?"

"Oh, great," He muttered on the other end.

"Excuse me?" Sara narrowed her eyes knowing Gary could feel her gaze a mile away.

"Nothing. I need to speak to Ava …please?"

"What do you need?"

"Is that really Gary?" Ava asked, slowly leaning forward from the couch. She reached for the device only to have the other woman pull it away from her. "Sara, give me the phone."

She held up a finger and said to Gary, "Ava isn't available right now. What can I help you with Gary?" Ava made a move for the phone again but she aimed her hand at her good arm to keep her from aggravating her several broken ribs.

"Well, I need the codes to archive room."

"They're in the bottom left drawer of her desk," Sara said.

Ava frowned, "Why does he need my access codes?"

Sara swatted her hand away again. "Anything else?"

"Uh, well, not really-"

"Great. Goodbye Gary."

She hung up before he could reply and tossed the phone back onto the table.

"Why did you do that?" Ava asked.

"Because I'm really serious about this recovery thing," Sara said. Knowing that their make out session had fizzled out completely, she started to redo her shirt again. "Gary killed the hot and heavy so I'm going to find something fun, yeah?"

"Fun?"

"Yes. Fun."

"What does that entail exactly?"

"I don't know yet but it's going to be the best normal date of your life."

"I thought we agreed not to be normal," Ava called after her.

* * *

"Incoming call from Captain Lance," Gideon announced.

Nate and Amaya turned to the screen as Sara appeared.

"Hey, Captain," Nate greeted, "How's Mrs. Captain?"

"Ava is fine. Well, actually she's bored out of her mind."

"That's probably one of the things you both have in common. You work so much that you're restless when you're not working," Amaya said. Nate nodded his agreement.

"I'm going to ignore that because I know how to not be working," Sara said. The defensiveness in her tone didn't go unnoticed, Amaya and Nate were just trying not to look amused by it. "Anyway, Grodd?"

"I think you'll happy with the results," Ray said coming in with a glass jar in his hands. "I present Gorilla Grodd. Fun sized."

Sara's nose scrunched up and she leaned forward with her eyes slightly squinted. They might have made a hell of a mess but there didn't seem to be in damage to the time during the mission …that she could remember. A shrunken Grodd? Ava would actually be impressed.

The trio shared a proud look when Sara pulled out her phone to snap a picture of Grodd sulking in the glass jar.

"How. In the Hell." She snapped another photo. "Did you do this?"

"It was actually Wally's idea …after we got our asses kicked the first time," Ray said.

"Yeah, we started on the mission with the idea that we'd just capture Grodd and get him back to Gorilla City but obviously he was too big and too smart for that so we shrunk him," Nate said.

"And as it turns out Gorilla City doesn't actually want him back." Ray tapped the glass lightly and Grodd punched the jar. "He's mean."

"Understatement of the year," Sara said, shaking her head, "So Gorilla City doesn't want him back …"

"Any ideas?"

"Not really but the last thing I want is him being on the Waverider. It would be our kind of luck that he ended up big again."

"Sounds like us," Nate said.

"Talk to the Bureau. If they say anything I wouldn't like, talk to Rip."

"And if Rip says something you wouldn't like?"

"Try to reach Barry. Cisco might have an idea."

"I think you can handle that, right?" Amaya asked looking to Nate. He looked surprised for a moment but then nodded vigorously before exiting the room on Amaya instruction. Sara knew it wasn't because Amaya was in charge either. She shook her head at the level of whipped he was.

Ray decided to make his exit as well but stopped short and turned back around.

"If everyone has not so great ideas, maybe I can keep him?" He asked. "I think he might appreciate my attitude enough not hate people as much."

"I doubt that is even possible, Ray," Amaya said.

"Instincts are telling me no on that but …we'll get there when we get there." Sara was reluctant to say yes to something like that. Especially, with what he did to Ava and her team, Grodd was lucky murder was off the table. Ray accepted that answer for the moment and left Amaya in her office.

"What did you really call about?" She asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Sara, I know you a little better than you give me credit for. You didn't really call about Grodd."

Sara sighed and shook her head, "Ava is bored out of her mind. I told her I'd take her out on a date."

"Okay … And?"

"Obviously, it's not my forte."

"Dinner and a movie. Nothing too formal. Just dinner somewhere homey like a diner or a café and …well, a movie."

"Why couldn't I come up with that?" Sara muttered.

"Because you're a love-sick idiot sometimes …Captain."

"I'll let that slide this once."

"Sure, you will."

"What's on the agenda for today?"

"The Liberty Bell went missing July 7, 1776. One day before it was supposed to be rung celebrating the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence."

"Sounds really important."

Amaya nodded her agreement, "It's a level 6."

"I'm not sure who needs luck more, you guys or me?"

"Definitely you, Sara.

"Very true. But it still would be great if we can keep America from turning into Panem." She received a confused frown in return and she shook her head. "Nevermind."

"Movie I haven't seen or book I haven't read?"

"Both. Keep me posted."

"Of course," Amaya gave her a short salute to her as the connection closed. She turned around to face the bridge. "Gideon, 1776 please."


	3. Chapter 3

"When you said movie …" Ava's brow furrowed at the big screen and tilted her head. She glanced over to Sara, who was fully entranced in the movie. She lowered her voice just a little, having already noticed how intense everyone else was about whatever it was they were watching. "I didn't know …you're into this?"

"Shh," Sara whispered. She absently reached into the bucket of popcorn in her lap and made a poor attempt to silence Ava with a few pieces of the buttery snack. As expected, Ava smacked the popcorn from her hand and shook her head.

Of all the guilty pleasures Sara Lance could have …action romances. Well, romances with some action. Not that she wasn't enjoying it. The movie was nice, but it was more interesting to watch Sara's reaction to the movie.

Instead of saying anything, she leaned her head on Sara's shoulder. Almost immediately something vibrated between them and Sara groaned. She shifted the bucket of popcorn into Ava's lap and reached for her phone in her back pocket.

"Please don't say it …please don't say it," Ava said just as Sara turned her phone over in her hand. Someone two rows behind them shushed her and she narrowed her eyes at the guy. Luckily, she had a hold on her temper – and she couldn't really get around without a little assistance. If it wasn't for that, his day would've been ruined.

"It's Gary," Sara said. To Ava's surprise, she didn't reject it. She just handed the phone over.

Ava accepted the call and answered, "Hello? Gary?"

"Hi, Director Sharpe," he greeted. He had that nervous, guilty sound in his voice. "How's it going? Enjoying your …date?"

"Gary. What is it?"

"Shh." It was the same guy again and he was frowning at her again. Ava raised an eyebrow at him but Sara was the one to completely shut him down from any future complaints with her own menacing look.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that the legends are currently dealing with …well…" Gary hesitated and Ava rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose because just this part was giving her a headache. "A time dragon?"

"Gary, are you asking me a question or telling me?" Sara tore her eyes away from the movie, directing her attention to the conversation next to her.

"I'm telling you. A time dragon." He laughed nervously and suddenly, Ava felt it was ridiculous that she thought it was possible for herself and Sara to actually have even a moment of reprieve from their jobs. "It flies and breathes fire…and can open time portals at will – or by accident. I'm not sure."

"A time dragon?" Ava hissed.

It was enough for Sara to start shaking her head and move like they were preparing to go. Ava looked up at her with a small frown and she put her hand over the phone. "What are you doing?"

"You just said the word time and dragon in the same sentence. I think my vacation is over."

"You're leaving me here?"

"No. We are going back to deal with this."

"Director Sharpe?" Gary questioned. "Are you still there?"

"Yes. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

"You're coming here? Oh, thank god …the department of defense wants to have a meeting and I have no idea-"

"Hang up the phone, Gary."

"Okay," he said meekly just before the line disconnected.

Sara helped her back into the wheelchair since she insisted on sitting in the more comfortable theater seats. If her arm hadn't been broken, she would've stalked out of here just as efficiently on crutches as she could have if she hadn't been tossed by a gorilla.

"Time dragon?" she repeated to herself and again a shush followed. Sara stopped pushing her and beat her to saying something now that the man was in their line of sight.

Ava's eyes widened when she turned to see Sara brandishing a knife. "Sara…"

"Say one more thing and I'll put your kidneys where your balls are supposed to be," Sara said, lowly. More than likely she scared the piss out of him and his girlfriend beside him. After the silence signaled he understood perfectly, they left to fix whatever the Legends might have broken.

* * *

Using the time courier, Sara and Ava were back on the Waverider with Gary reluctantly in tow. They were all prepared to be faced with some sort of dragon attacking the ship …or even somehow roaming around inside.

But, strangely enough, the Waverider was quiet.

Sara walked forward to the Bridge. It was suspiciously quiet. With the members of her team there was no way to have peace and quiet. Something both Ava and Sara were familiar with. Ava's apartment was the only alone time they could really get and even then there was still Gary.

"Is everyone dead?" Gary questioned. It took a lot for Ava not to roll her eyes.

"Gideon," Sara called, walking ahead to search her office. Nothing was destroyed or scorched. She wondered if Gary just needed an excuse to get Ava back because he couldn't handle it.

"Yes, Captain Lance?"

"Where's the …time dragon?" Ava asked, seeing that Sara was occupied.

"I believe you all should join Dr. Heywood and Dr. Palmer in the library," Gideon said.

"So, everything is fine? No giant level 21 Mushu tearing shit up?" Sara asked.

"Not that I'm aware of, Captain."

"To the library it is," Sara said. She pushed Ava ahead of her with Gary following behind her jumping at every little sound the Waverider made. On their way there, everything seemed to be intact. "I feel like I should be concerned but this is the cleanest I've seen the Waverider since the Legends became a thing."

"That seems suspicious," Ava said as they came up on the entrance to the library.

The team and Rip were gathered inside, looking at something at the center of the table. Nate was the first to notice them since he was facing the doorway. And his smile signaled to the rest of the team to turn around as well.

"Captain …and Mrs. Captain," he greeted.

Ava was still debating how she felt about the title. Either he was being funny, or it was an early sign that she was being accepted by the team quicker than she thought. Although it seemed to be the latter since he had been calling her that with genuine smile since the first time she stayed over with Sara and joined them for breakfast.

"Back so soon?" Ray asked.

"Did you not trust me to keep a tight ship?" Amaya asked.

"It's not that. Gary called about a time dragon."

"Time dragon? That's a good one." Ray lifted a circular fish tank from the table and put his face closer to the glass. "That's what species you can be. Time Dragon."

"That's the Level 21 dragon?" Ava asked, sounding unimpressed.

"Level 21?" Wally asked with a frown. "I thought you guys say it was like a 12?"

"It was a 12," Zari said, "Where'd you get 21 from?"

Sara turned around and looked at Gary with narrowed eyes. He stepped back into the hallway with a nervous smile and shrug.

"I must have gotten the numbers mixed up…" the combination of Mick and Sara giving him glares were terrifying. His voice squeaked as he rushed out, "Director Sharpe please don't let her kill me," in one long sentence where the words didn't seem to have spaces between them.

"Sara." Ava reached out and took her wrist, pulling her back.

"I was fine. Until you called!"

"I'm sorry but…regardless of the level, isn't a time dragon a problem? There could be more of them."

"No, we checked. Just this one," Ray said, "I named him Gorn."

"Can I go now?" Gary asked. "Obviously, there was a big misunderstanding and I have very important …Bureau related stuff to do."

"Goodbye, Gary." Ava sighed and waved him away.

"Thank you." He used his time courier to make a quick exit.

"So, you guys are fine?" Sara asked the team. "Nothing is wrong …?"

"Actually, everything is going well," Rip said with a nod. "It seems the Legends are quite capable of keeping it together without their captain. Which I find quite impressive."

"You and me both," Ava murmured.

"There is a reason that Amaya is in charge," Sara said. "Gary said level 21, so I was expecting one of you to be a roasted chicken. So, you don't need us for anything?"

"Nope," Amaya said. She grinned amusingly. "Unless you both want to stay-"

"We will always need you, Captain, but for now …" Wally glanced around at the rest of the team. "We got this. No time moms required."

"Hear that Ava, the kids are all grown up." Ava snorted at Sara who looked a bit stumped.

If the Legends were really okay without supervision from them with a high-level anachronism and a dragon, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to take some time off. Of course, it had barely been a few days, so only time would tell.

Sara, like Ava, had the idea to talk to Gideon just to confirm that everything was fine. After a very thorough recounting of everything that happened since Ava's medical leave started, Sara was eventually convinced to go back to Ava's apartment.

* * *

Sara slumped down further into the couch, the popcorn in her lap getting away from Ava's reach. She frowned at the scene and tried not to start shaking her head at the tv screen.

"Just so you know, this isn't at all what I had in mind when I said dinner and a movie," Sara said, moving the popcorn to the coffee table. She felt around for the remote to end their suffering, but it was nowhere to be found. "…the hell? It was right here somewhere."

"Sara, it's honestly fine. I could really watch anything right now. As long as it has nothing to do with Gary."

"You're preaching to the choir, Director Sharpe, but I'd rather carve my ears out with a spoon…"

She was muffled for a moment, nearly disappearing into the corner of the couch as she felt around the cushion. Ava held back laugh at the ass high in the air right beside her. The movie wasn't horrible but obviously that was more entertaining.

"…than wait for this long movie to end."

Ava playfully smacked Sara's ass, earning a lighthearted glare from her girlfriend.

"Come on, push through it," Ava said, "We've been through worse."

She glanced at the tv and gave an unsatisfied look to the screen before turning back to Sara, who was practically throwing the pillows over the back of the couch. Her eyes trailed after the one pillow Sara had been using.

"We've only got seven more awkward scenes and maybe we'll eventually get a kiss …or a hug? They've got to at least shake hands. It's rated PG-13."

"That might be the problem. If it was R or TV-MA, I would've been turned on enough to pounce on you halfway through." She sat down on the couch, closer to Ava than she had been. Ava smirked at her and she rolled her eyes. "I don't want to watch two _adults_ have a sandbox romance."

"Sara-"

"I am not waiting for someone to finally share their goddamn animal crackers."

"I didn't know you took the genre so seriously. I'll remember to put on Sleepless in Seattle next time."

"You're lucky I can't hit you…jerk."

"Mhm. Lucky me," Ava said. She leaned towards Sara and was met with a kiss that she was expecting to be reciprocated. She pulled back a bit and grinned against Sara's lips. "Is that better?"

"I don't know …you might have to do that again."

Their lips met again, and Sara moved even closer, managing not to hover near Ava's injuries. But with the director one broken bone away from a body cast, it meant she'd have to do a lot of the work to not cause more harm than good.

"So much better," Sara said against her lips. Ava's hand slipped under her shirt, warm fingers ghosting over the skin of her waist. Sara moved her lips away and kissed her jaw. Just then the phone rang. They both hoped for a wrong number that would hang up before it rung again but such hopes were dashed when it continued to ring.

Ava let out a sound of frustration and Sara shook her head, "Ignore it," she said and reattached her lips to Ava's neck.

Her phone still kept ringing.

"Fuck me," Sara muttered, pulling away.

"Believe me …I am trying to," Ava said.

Sara grabbed Ava's phone from the coffee table and answered. "No, Gary." Ava's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't try to stop her from hanging up on him. She also couldn't find it in herself to say something about it either. It was very possible she'd had her limit with Gary for the day.

"That is literally the second time he's killed the mood," Sara said. For a moment they both considered finishing the movie until on screen romance turned even worse because they were speaking a foreign language. They both could understand it still but neither of them had the remote.

"Is that …Mandarin?" Ava questioned with a matching puzzled expression.

"Yes. Why would you even give other people the opportunity to make themselves suffer this?" Sara searched around once more for the remote. "Why is the- Dammit."

"What?"

Davey trotted by with the remote in his mouth. Sara narrowed her eyes at him as he seemed to stop just to give her a smug look. Before Ava could stop her, Sara was off the couch and chasing after Davey who took off the moment he realized she was out to get him. Ava just sighed as they disappeared down the hallway with Arlo following to join the fun.

"Sara, it's not a big deal." She jumped at the thud that sounded and Davey was scampering by to the other side of the apartment. "Sara?"

"Damn cat," the woman muttered stomping after him. "I'm going to kill him."

"Please don't." Ava sighed. "You know we could just forget it. Normal people sit and talk."

"Normal people Netflix and chill, too, Ava."

"We tried the Netflix part …I'm not going to be doing a lot of chilling with these injuries."

"There are plenty of positions that don't involve you even having to lift a finger."

Ava's eyes widened at that and she turned, as best she could, to look at Sara who decidedly stopped in the kitchen and let Davey go. Sara winked at her knowingly and no matter how hard she tried, Ava still felt heat in her cheeks at the implication.

The cats scampered in and settled themselves comfortably next to Ava and cooled the moment between them. Sara sighed, reluctantly admitting defeat.

"And on that note …this attempt is now officially over."

Ava grinned at her as she busied herself in the kitchen and scratched Arlo's ears. "Submission by cat. Interesting," she murmured.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sometime after the Time Dragon…**

Sara left the bathroom, steam pouring out behind her. She woke up first and it was far too early for Ava to be up. Just a couple of weeks ago, Ava probably would've beaten her to the shower. With the medications, however, Sara would be lucky to see her before noon somedays.

Davey and Arlo had appeared in the time she had been in the shower and took her side of the bed next to Ava.

She'd been fighting with them several times a day all week and all the previous week – and every time she's been over in the past. There was no winning with them and Ava wasn't taking any sides, and found it amusing.

Arlo watched her with narrowed eyes as she moved around the bedroom. She tossed her clothes into the basket and tidied up all the other things she'd left laying around when Ava needed something. She opened the curtains just an inch to let some light in and then leaned down over the bed to kiss Ava's forehead.

Davey perked up from his lounging all over Sara's place and gave her a narrowed look as well.

Sara left the room, knowing they wouldn't follow her around. "Damn cats," she said with a frown. "One day I'm getting a dog. Then we'll be even."

Raiding the kitchen for breakfast, Sara grabbed her laptop and made her routine morning call to the Waverider. She left the laptop on the counter and proceeded to go through the refrigerator. She was in the mood for eggs and toast. Maybe some bacon, too.

After the third ring the video call was picked up. It was never the same legend anytime she called. Today Ray was the early riser.

"Morning, Captain," he greeted with a bowl of oatmeal in front of him.

"Hey, Ray. How is everything?" Sara said as she cracked a few eggs into a skillet. She was feeling scrambled today.

"Waverider isn't on fire, yet. Which is good."

"Some people don't have to worry about that kind of thing," Sara said more to herself than Ray.

"As true as that is we're us. We haven't really been all that busy lately. There was a velociraptor storming through the Time Bureau. Gary requested that not get back to Ava until after she comes back."

Sara paused her movements over the stove and looked at Ray. "A raptor? Like Jurassic Park raptor?"

"Yeah. Better than a T-Rex though, right?"

"Well, yes, but what's with the animals?"

"Rip said there might be a time pirate kind of thing happening. Plus there are a lot more anachronisms left over from Mallus than anyone was expecting. But we've totally got it under control. You haven't forgotten what Netflix is…you phone hasn't disappeared."

"I think at this point if any of that happens, Ava is the one who won't remember."

"Ray we gotta go," Amaya said in the background. She came into view and waved at Sara. "Hi, Sara. Sorry to interrupt but Leonardo da Vinci in America…in 2376."

"Please, fix that."

"Aye, Captain," Ray said. He gave her a salute and ended the call.

* * *

Cisco was staring down his computer screen when the portal opened up across the room. He lifted his eyes from the screen and watched Sara stepped through, thankfully a fight didn't have to break out after it had been so quiet. It was nice.

Although, Sara and the Legends tended to bring problems too.

"Oh, no. What did you break this time?" he asked as she closed the portal behind her. He relaxed at the fact that she was alone. Mick wasn't the friendly type.

"Break? Nothing. It's more of a visit to prevent it."

"What is this something are we bubble wrapping?"

"Not something. Someone," Sara glanced around, only now noticing they were completely alone. "I was hoping you could help with that. A suit. For Ava."

"Yeah, I heard what happened from Ray. Grodd is so much fun, isn't he?" Cisco asked.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here. The last thing I need is for Ava to have any 'fun' in the future."

"How is she?"

"Better. But I need some reassurance that I don't have to worry about her trying to fight bad guys in a pantsuit." She earned a laugh for it but she was very serious about this. Ava was insistent about proper dress code for the Bureau, but Sara couldn't have another incident like this again. She had enough to worry about when it came to Ava and the last thing she needed was her recurring nightmare to come true.

With all the chaos they deal with on a regular basis, she was reluctant to admit her injuries could've been worse.

"No need to worry. You're in luck." Cisco led her through a doorway and into a bright room. Lining the left wall were suits. "I've had some free time and suits can always be improved."

He picked up a tablet with a bright scene and walked over to Sara, handing it to her. "Take your pick."

"What is this?"

"Everything you need."

"Honestly, Ava would be the one to understand all of this," Sara said, scrolling through endless words – that didn't have a description. "So…I just pick some of these and it'll make me a suit?"

"Not quite. I'd have to do some testing and Ava would have to get fitted for it. When exactly do you need it?" Cisco asked taking a walk around the room to look at the suits. Sara glanced up from the screen and looked to the multicolored suits and the ones that were just plain white and black, ready to be chosen.

"Not too soon," Sara said, handing back the tablet. "She won't be able to walk let alone fight time pirates for another few weeks. It's just going to take a lot of persuasion to get her to relax for that long."

"Well, you're the right woman for the job." He looked over her selections.

"So is it possible?"

"I thought you were going to give me a challenge. How does she feel about black and gold?"

"Knock yourself out." She started to leave the room sensing he was brainstorming idea. She had to get back to Ava anyway. Maybe by then she'd be awake. The time courier opened up a portal back to Ava's living room and she walked towards it. "Have fun with that."

"Oh, I will." Cisco grinned.

* * *

Sara wondered if she should've been worried but she had to remind herself that the team was actually doing well without constant supervision. It did help that she didn't have to stress Ava out about something going wrong often. So, it was probably best not to mention the raptor to her. As scary as Gary was, it was a reasonable request.

She lounged on the couch looking through Netflix for something that Ava didn't tell her she couldn't watch without her. Which really left her with a bunch of movies that didn't look that great. Although, what's a horror movie if it isn't a little terrible? And more funny than scary. Ava didn't like scary anyway.

Before she could select something from the genre sirens sound from outside. Curiosity overpowered the movie and Sara looked out the window. Down below two police cars were headed down the street weaving through traffic. She was surprise at herself to feel a bit of longing watching them pass. Oliver was out there somewhere fighting off villains. After all these years of doing just that, she felt rightfully jealous. Rightfully even though it was a bit silly.

"You can go," Ava said from behind her.

"Or you can get some curtains," Sara said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Sara, I'm well aware of the fact that you can't stay cooped up here." Sara turned away from the window, resisting her urge to scold Ava for standing on her own. If she wasn't in any pain then it was best to leave her alone or threats would follow. "I can barely stay here. It's driving me crazy."

"I know."

"Why don't you go? I'm sure you can find some trouble to get into that doesn't involve time hopping."

"I'm not leaving you."

"I'm not completely helpless. I can manage for a few hours. As long as you promise to come back in at least two pieces…although I do prefer one piece. That's much better." Sara rolled her eyes and was seconds away from protesting again, but Ava raised her hand to stop her, fighting off a wince.

"I can't be off being a vigilante…what if you fall…or…fall?"

"Sara, I am eating and watching tv and trying not to go stir crazy. I don't need Lifealert. And don't think I haven't noticed that you avoid talking about the bureau after you talk to the team."

"Well, I know how close you are to getting an ulcer just from being reminded Gary's in charge of a federal agency."

Ava closed her eyes and let out a calming breath. Sara was impressed considering she'd been freaking out about it all the times before then. "I'm calm." Ava moved to the couch and sat down slowly, sinking into the couch like it would swallow her whole. "I'm calm."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I am. Very calm."

"No. I mean about the vigilante thing." Sara dropped down beside her.

"I thought we established that I don't need you to be normal. I like that you're not. That's what I love about you and you know that. You know a lot things."

"I guess I could call Oliver and see if there's something he needs help with."

"Good." Ava nodded in amusement.

"But just this once."

"I'm not asking you to go back to Sink Shower and Stuff."

"But what if you do fall?"

"I have LegendAlert. Much faster…sometimes. And free." Ava patted her thigh and turned on the tv, finding a show she could watch without Sara complaining she wasn't caught up yet. "Stop trying to talk yourself out of it. I'm always right."

"Well, you are the perfect woman…"

"Honestly, I think Amaya would be-" Sara looked offended and scowled at her. Ava laughed, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm just kidding. You're the only one for me."

"Yeah yeah," Sara said, waving her away even though she'd clearly kissed her back a moment ago. She grabbed her jacket ready for a trip out to the world that was more normal than the world immediately outside her quarters on the Waverider.

"You love it."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

Sara closed the door behind her not giving Ava a response because she knew the other woman was probably laughing at her on the other side of the door. But she paused with her hand on the doorknob and stopped fighting her urge to grin.

"Yeah, I do."

* * *

"Dammit," Sara sighed.

She'd been sitting outside of the apartment for an hour, unable to break away from Ava completely. That worried thought of Ava attempting to get around the apartment and getting hurt nagged her constantly and she would blame herself for it. So, going across town to fight whoever was on Oliver's list. Plus, surely they didn't participate in one and done battles anyway. With her luck, she'd be caught up in brawl with another Deathstroke type and get a call from her team that Ray let out a shit ton of time dragons into the timeline.

Sara grimaced at the thought and officially decided to not go. No fighting. No matter how badly she wanted to. But she couldn't, although there was something equally as dangerous and not too far away.

She opened a channel to the Waverider and was answer immediately. Mick was there eating a sandwich – not to her surprise. He frowned and leaned back from the screen.

"Boss."

"Mick...what are you doing?" Sara questioned. He burped first and then opened his mouth to reply. She waved her hand, stopping him. "Nevermind. Is there a mission going on?"

"Uh. Not really," he said.

"Well, Ava basically put me out of her apartment until I went and worked off my edge."

"You want us to blow something up?"

"Blow what up?" Zari asked in the background.

"Nothing," Sara said, "You're not blowing anything up."

"I heard fire. What are you doing?" Amaya asked coming from somewhere.

Before Sara could even respond, whole team was lining up to join the conversation. The video adjusted, showing everyone gathered around Mick – who looked entirely uncomfortable being surrounded.

"Okay, I guess now that everyone is here…"

"Ava tired of you already?" Zari asked, "Happens to the best of us."

"No." Sara rolled her eyes. "She wanted me to get out and do something. What she had in mind isn't going to work so…drinks on me?"

"We're in," Amaya said. She almost looked relieved. Almost.

* * *

When she volunteered to take the Legends out to a bar, Sara was aware it was a bad idea. Like with most things involving the Legends she knew for certain it could go terribly wrong but that was part of her job as captain.

And also, possibly designated driver now that Rip and Wally were the ultimate Karaoke drinking buddies.

Sara glanced over her shoulder to the pair in the middle of their not so great rendition of 'Everybody Wants to Rule The World' as if Sara hadn't heard it a million times – rarely by the original singers. She turned back to bar satisfied there weren't any fights to break up yet. Mick was only on his seventh beer though and he was right next to her so hopefully she could stop it before it starts.

Amaya sat down next to her and ordered three shots like she'd been a regular at this bar for years. After she took all three of them down, Sara finally spoke for the first time since they'd gotten there.

"I thought everything was going fine on the Waverider."

"It is," Amaya said.

"Then why are you throwing back shots like Mick…like me?"

"Keeping everything perfect isn't not stressful."

"Now you know why Ava and I spend so much time in my office with bottles of whiskey."

"That's not the only thing you two do in your office. Or hers."

Sara was pink in the cheeks for only a moment. "That is not the point."

"Are you sure about that, Boss?" Mick asked, eye glistening with intoxication and mischief.

"Drink your beer," Sara grumbled. "Point is it's not as easy as I make it seem dealing with all you."

"I would say Rip understands but…" They turned to see him and Wally refusing to give up the microphone. "He's one us. Officially."

"You guys will be the death of me."

"Isn't Ava expecting at least a bruise or something when you come back?"

"Hadn't really thought too far ahead yet. I'll come up with something."

"No need," Mick said. He grabbed his empty beer bottle and smashed it into the person walking behind him. The person being someone part of the biker gang that filled the room other than them. They stared each other down for a second before a brawl started. It was a record they made it this long without incident.

Amaya shoot her head and went back to her drink.

"What the hell? I haven't had any actions in a while," Sara said watching, Nate toss someone across a table. "I almost miss it."

"Have fun."

Sara smirked, gesturing to the bartender. He frowned at the fight but got her shot, obviously used to such skirmishes on a nightly basis.


End file.
